This invention relates to plastic extrusions for use in floor assemblies, and more particularly, to plastic extrusions which are connected to a rigid underlying support, such as wood joists, by an unique snap connector, the plastic extrusions including an additional extruded material interposed between the extrusion and the underlying support to resist undesired squeaking sounds from occurring when weight bearing loads move on the floor assembly.
It is very well known to construct floor assemblies, such as decks for homes and boat docks, using wood planks secured to an underlying support, such as spaced wood joists. There are, however, several disadvantages with using exposed wood planks for these applications. Wood, if left untreated, can very quickly rot, thus requiring replacement of some if not all of the wood planks. This occurs especially for wood decks and boat docks that are subject to outdoor weather conditions such as rain, snow and sunlight. In addition, wood planks can shrink, creating unsightly and dangerous gaps in the planking. Finally, wood is becoming more and more expensive.
Pressure treated lumber is widely used to protect the wood from rotting, however, even pressure treated lumber begins to rot over time with exposure to the elements. In addition, it is recommended by most vendors of pressure treated lumber that a protectant be applied to the wood. This protectant usually must be applied yearly. This is a major disadvantage of wood decks, due to the expense and time consuming nature of applying and reapplying this protectant year after year. Failure to be diligent in these applications can lead to early rotting of the exposed wood planks and the major expense and inconvenience of replacing some if not all of the wood planks.
It is known to use plastic extrusions for slatted floor assemblies. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,815,550 discloses a slatted floor assembly for animal enclosures and the like. The floor assembly consists of a set of elongated extruded plastic members, preferably made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). A plurality of clip-like elements maintain the members in a spaced longitudinally parallel relationship. The elements are provided with a central, upright spacer and a pair of arms. Holding means in the form of notches which cooperate with projections are disposed at the outer ends of the arms in the spacer to releasably receive and exteriorly grip members.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,135,339 also discloses a slatted floor assembly useful for animal enclosures. The slats are made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and are snap fitted to a central member equipped with shoulders generally illustrated by reference nos. 140a and 142a of FIG. 4.
Despite the existence of these slatted floor assemblies, those skilled in the art still faced two nagging problems when attempting to use plastic extrusions for floor assemblies. The first problem was that when the plastic extrusions were secured to an underlying rigid support surface (such as a wood decking), an annoying and extremely undesirable squeaking sound is made when weight bearing loads were moved on the deck, such as when a person walks across the deck. The second problem was that there was no efficient and reliable method of attaching the plastic extrusions to the underlying rigid supports.
What is needed, therefore, is a plastic extrusion that eliminates the squeaking problem and a new connector for use in securing the plastic extrusion to the underlying rigid support.